The Rays are on TV today!

I just found out that I’ll be able to watch the Rays on TV today for the first time this year! Their spring training game against the Yankees will be on the YES Network, so I can watch it on DirecTV. Wade Davis will be the starting pitcher for the Rays against Phil Hughes for the Yankees. Carl Crawford will be the only regular starter in today’s lineup, but I’ll get to see Gabe Kapler, Adam Kennedy, and Morgan Ensberg in Rays blue for the first time. Of that group, only Kapler is likely to make the team though. Anyway, it’s a meaningless spring training game, but it’s always exciting to watch my first baseball game of the new year. The game starts at 1:15 PM EST, and it just so happens that I’m working from home today, so I can watch it live…

The Rays lost to the Reds, 7-0, in yesterday’s spring training opener. That’s nothing to worry about though. The starters only had 1-2 at bats each before they were replaced by minor leaguers, and they had to face Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto. On the mound for the Rays was Carlos Hernandez, a former major leaguer who had a pretty good season with the Astros in 2002, but then tore both his labrum and rotator cuff, which is usually a death sentence for a pitcher’s career. He started a comeback in Single-A for the Rays last year, and he pitched two scoreless innings to start yesterday’s game. It’s not likely that he can earn a major league spot with the Rays, but his comeback is interesting to watch. Five of the runs were given up by Randy Choate in one inning. He has no chance of making the team. The other two runs were given up by Mitch Talbot, who has been a staple of the Durham Bulls rotation for the last two years, in the ninth. Hernandez, Jason Hammel, J.P. Howell, Lance Cormier, and Neal Frontz didn’t give up any runs.

I can’t wait for today’s game to start – baseball season is now up on us!